Mario Díaz-Balart U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | Official U.S. House Headshot
Mario Díaz-Balart U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | Official U.S. House Headshot
Co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Latino-Jewish Caucus, Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) released a statement following their meeting with a former hostage and families of hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza.
"It has been 405 days since Hamas terrorists massacred over 1,200 innocent men, women, and children and kidnapped more than 250 hostages. Today, 101 hostages, including Americans, remain in brutal captivity under Hamas," they stated.
The representatives met with a former hostage who had been held for over 50 days and with families of those still in captivity. They described the meeting as "profoundly emotional" due to the accounts of "horrific conditions, including mental torture and sexual and physical violence perpetrated by their captors." The co-chairs assured the families that their loved ones are not forgotten.
They emphasized the importance of Congress remaining united in support of Israel and continuing efforts to urge for the release of all remaining hostages. "We will not stop working for the safe release of all the hostages, and for their captors to be held accountable," they added.
Other officials present at the meeting included Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States; Agustin Cardenas, Political Counselor at the Embassy of Argentina; Jose Thovar, Counselor at the Embassy of Spain; Ambassador Jose Miguel Aleman from Panama; and Ambassador Francisco Duarte Lopes from Portugal.
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